


Killing Time Between Killing Kaiju

by BaronVonChop



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: F/M, Father and son bonding, Kaiju cultists, broken arm, mute Aleksis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-21
Updated: 2013-07-21
Packaged: 2017-12-20 17:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/889915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaronVonChop/pseuds/BaronVonChop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short glimpses of the lives of the Jaeger pilots between battles with the Kaiju, mostly focusing on Sasha and Aleksis Kaidanovsky. Includes some fighting and some fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Killing Time Between Killing Kaiju

**Author's Note:**

> I write Aleksis Kaidanovsky as mute because that is the way he appeared in Archadian_Skies' excellent "The Bear and the Maiden Fair."
> 
> This piece is a collection of vignettes, loosely tied together.
> 
> Update: The first time I posted this, AO3 ate half my post, so some of you may have only read part of it (sorry). Hopefully now the whole thing will appear!

The Shatterdome mess hall was always busy around dinnertime. Sasha Kaidanovsky sat near the end of one long table, with a generous space open next to her for Aleksis. Her husband liked to sit at the end of the table for the same reason he always came to meals late. He had grown up big and shy, and while his confidence had increased since meeting Sasha, he still felt nervous when surrounded by people. She remembered how he had stood when he first came to the Shatterdome: shoulders slumped, head down, spine bent. He was a big man trying to look small.

Now she caught sight of him moving toward the table, standing tall and proud. His eyes met hers and she felt the familiar thrill. Her red lips parted and a smile spread over her face. He did not exactly smile as he sat down, but his eyes glowed with affection.

Sasha ran her palm over his back, feeling the muscles under the thick coat. No words passed between them, but that was what being married to Aleksis Kaidanovsky was like. He showed his affection by his presence. They were not just sitting next to each other. They were together. He always stood tallest when walking next to her.

* * *

They left the Shatterdome after dinner to see a troupe of Chinese acrobats performing downtown. Tendo Choi had seen their show the week before and had been enthusiastically describing it all week to anyone who would listen. Sasha enjoyed the show immensely, and Aleksis enjoyed watching Sasha enjoy it.

It was a typical evening in Hong Kong, and there were many people out for the nightlife. Groups of people made Aleksis nervous. He felt like he stuck out too much to ever be part of the crowd. His way of dealing with this was to focus on Sasha, so he gave her his full attention as she described her favorite parts of the show and began teasing him about wanting to see him in a sequined unitard.

Neither of them were very familiar with the area, so they did not know that they were passing by a Kaiju shrine. The shrine belonged to the new cult that believed that the Kaiju were agents of divine retribution, sent to punish the wicked.

When some bystanders recognized them and started calling them “Kaiju killers,” Aleksis and Sasha at first thought that the crowd was praising them for protecting the city. Then someone threw a bottle at Aleksis's head.

The scene devolved into chaos in moments. Aleksis pushed through the crowd to find the person who had thrown the bottle, but now the crowd was changing. Those who didn't want to be part of the violence were struggling to get out; while others, eager to land a punch or a kick, shoved their way toward the Russians. More bottles were thrown, and food, and pieces of broken bricks.

A jagged chunk of glass caught Aleksis on the side of the head, narrowly missing his eye. Blood welled up and started to trickle down his cheek as he began to knock the people aside to try to make some room for them. His great dark brows pulled down and his mouth set in a firm line.

Aleksis did not worry about Sasha. Countless hours of sparring with her had taught him that she could take care of herself. Then he heard her cry out in pain, and he could tell from the sound that it was serious. He spun around to see her grasping her right arm with her left. His heart jumped in his chest at the sight of her beautiful face contorted with pain.

Standing behind her was one of the cultists, still clutching the heavy iron bar he had used to attack her from behind. Aleksis swelled with rage. At the sight of the huge Russian’s face, the fight went out of his assailants. Where earlier they had struggled to get close enough to attack him, now they hurried to get out of his way.

In two strides he was at Sasha's side. She looked up at him. Her face was more composed now, with little trace of pain outside of the angry tears in the corners of her eyes. She simply said through gritted teeth, “It's broken.”

Aleksis turned to her attacker. The cultist raised the iron bar to strike Aleksis, but he snatched it out of the man’s hand and hurled it down the street. Aleksis took the cultist's right arm in both of his hands. The big man was almost casual in the way he twisted the man's arm until the bones broke.

Aleksis let the man go and he ran off, sobbing. Aleksis looked around for more people to hurt, but they were alone.

Aleksis knelt before Sasha, reaching his right arm behind her to help her stand.

Sasha's voice was strained. “I'm all right. Help me get back to the Shatterdome.”

He stood and she leaned on him for support as they walked. Sasha Kaidanovsky would never have allowed herself to be helped by anyone else, but it felt natural that Aleksis should help her. If he had been the one to get hurt, she would have done the same for him.

Despite her pain, Sasha laughed at the image of herself trying to support an injured Aleksis. Her husband looked down at her with a quizzical look. “I'll tell you later,” she said with a smile as they walked off back to the Shatterdome.

* * *

The next morning, Tendo Choi met them at breakfast. “I’m so sorry. I should have warned you about that church. I’m just glad you got lucky and it wasn’t worse.”

Sasha's arm was in a sling. One good thing about being a Jaeger pilot was that they got the best medical care available. “They were the lucky ones,” she said, waving away his apology. “If they hadn't run off, they would have gotten much worse from us.”

Choi did not look reassured. “If you hadn't had Aleksis along to protect you...”

“Feh!” exclaimed Sasha. “As though I were a weak girl in need of protection! Here, feel this.” She offered Tendo her good arm. He touched her bicep and she flexed, smiling at the impressed look on his face. “Like iron!” Sasha boasted, while Aleksis beamed proudly. “If they had not snuck up behind me with that iron bar, I could have laid them all flat.”

Aleksis knew that Tendo Choi had a small crush on Sasha, but Aleksis did not mind. There could be no jealousy between two people who had Drifted together. He knew without a doubt that she loved him, and he also knew that she knew he felt the same way about her. That was why he no longer slouched. He no longer saw himself as a big, awkward brute. He had seen himself as she saw him: as a pillar of strength, resolute, powerful, and manly. So he only smiled as Choi felt his wife’s arm with admiration.

Aleksis looked up as the Wei Tang clan walked in. The Chinese triplets who piloted Crimson Typhoon had already eaten breakfast. The three usually ate a light breakfast so that they could hit the gym afterward for some basketball. Apparently they were now back for snacks. Each brother selected a different fruit: Hu chose an apple, Cheung got a banana, and Jin selected an orange. Aleksis had noticed this about the brothers before. Perhaps since they looked so much alike, they tended to favor different foods to reinforce their individuality.

When the brothers had first arrived at the Jaeger Academy, they had been living as street fighters for years. It had been easy to tell them apart then. Cheung was the one who had all his teeth. Hu’s nose was lopsided from having been broken. Jin’s hair was long and greasy, hiding that a large piece of his left ear was missing.

Years ago, the brothers had learned to fight as a unit in basements and warehouses converted into nighttime arenas. Tests confirmed that they were Drift compatible, and they were chosen as finalists for the Jaeger program. At this point the Chinese government stepped in and paid for their plastic surgery.

By the time they were selected as Crimson Typhoon’s pilots, the brothers were as handsome as a boy band, and at least as ubiquitous. Their faces appeared on posters and magazine covers. They were guests on talk shows and presented trophies at teen awards shows. They had their own clothing line and energy drink. The much-vaunted fighting technique of Crimson Typhoon, the “Thundercloud Formation,” bore no resemblance to a thundercloud. The name was chosen because it tested well with focus groups.

Aleksis had to admit that, for all the media hype surrounding Crimson Typhoon, the Jaeger and its pilots had earned their success. While the Mark 1 Cherno Alpha fought with tenacity and brute strength, slugging it out with Kaiju and winning by outlasting the giant monsters, the Mark 4 Crimson Typhoon used technique and style. That was why, when the Wei brothers saw Aleksis looking their way, he gave them a solemn nod of respect.

Sasha called over to the Weis, “No basketball after breakfast today?”

Cheung shrugged. “The Hansens wanted the court today.”

Sasha’s laugh showed her white teeth. “Nice of you to share, for once!”

* * *

The bounce of the basketball and the squeak of tennis shoes echoed in the open space of the gym. Herc Hansen breathed out a puff of air as his son spun around him and sank an easy layup.

Chuck smirked as he tossed the ball to his father. “Need a quick breather?”

Herc shook his finger at Chuck as he made his way back to the three-point line. “Just give me a minute. Let me get my second wind.”

“Take all the time you need. You’re still behind by at least ten points.”

Herc scowled at his cheeky son. but he had to admit Chuck was right. The older man held the ball against his hip as he stood up straight, pushed his shoulders back, and filled his lungs with air. He breathed in and out slowly a few times and wiped some sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

Chuck stood with his arms folded. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

Herc lifted the ball and went up for a three-pointer. It bounced neatly off the backboard and into the net. “I’m ready.”

“See if I ever give you another break,” Chuck grumbled as he retrieved the ball.

He started dribbling slowly toward the basket, with Herc covering him. Herc replied, “No worries. I’ll just catch my breath whenever I score on you.”

Chuck spun toward the basket, faked going up for a shot, then shot the ball for real. It bounced on one side of the rim, then the other, before finally falling in and through the net. “Better start scoring, then,” said Chuck.

“That was a lucky bounce.” Herc started to the left, then went right, going wide for a shot from the side. Chuck jumped to block the shot and got a piece of it, so that it only bounced off the backboard. They both scrambled for the rebound, and it was Chuck who came away with it.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have wasted my chance for a breather,” panted Herc.

“Maybe not.” Chuck smiled, sensing victory. He started to move in toward the basket, with Herc keeping a few steps away to watch for a fast break. Instead, Chuck went up for a mid-range shot and sank it with little difficulty.

Herc retrieved the ball and started a slow approach, taking his time to catch his breath. Chuck made a grab for the ball and Herc had to hustle to maintain control. Herc cut in front of the basket and sank the layup.

“All right, not bad,” said Chuck. They were both out of breath. Chuck began to move toward the basket, keeping an eye out for another mid-range shot.

“So, I heard you went on a date with that girl from Systems,” said Herc. Chuck paused for a second and Herc took the opportunity to knock the ball away from him and chase it down. “Word gets around,” he said as he started making his own way toward the basket.

“I wouldn’t call it a date,” said Chuck. “It was just for laughs.”

Herc gave him a meaningful look. “Mm-hm. And did she see it that way? Because if she’s looking for a relationship...”

Chuck considered it while continuing to guard his father. “She wasn’t. Probably.” His father gave him another look, this one more pointed. Chuck yielded. “I’ll talk to her.”

Herc tried a fast break that ended with him and Chuck chasing a wild rebound. Herc was able to regain possession and tried again for a well-earned basket.

As Chuck headed back to the three-point line, Herc commented, “If you enjoyed the first date, it’s worth going on another.”

Chuck dribbled the ball idly from one hand to the other. “I guess we got along all right.” Herc waited for Chuck to start approaching the basket, but instead Chuck went up for a three-pointer that hit the backboard and bounced off the front of the rim.

“Close,” said Herc as the rebound came to him. He circled around Chuck. They were both taking it more slowly as they dripped sweat. As Herc got near the basket, he asked, “Did you use protection?”

“Dad!” exclaimed Chuck, taking a step back.

Herc seized the moment to sink the shot unopposed. As he jogged back to the three-point line, he asked, “Well, did you?”

Chuck got the ball and joined his father. “We didn’t get that far.” Before Herc could ask, he sighed, rolled his eyes, and said, “But I was prepared. It’s not my first time, you know.”

“Just making sure you’re being smart,” said Herc, obviously winded. “You can’t be naive about these things.” Deciding that he’d finished the dad talk for the day, he nodded at the basket. “Want to see if you can make it from there, all or nothing?”

“You’re only asking because you’re all tired out.”

Herc shrugged. “True enough. If you sink it, we’ll say you won.”

“I’m already winning!”

Herc thought about that. “Okay, but if you hit the three-pointer, I’ll admit it.”

Chuck went up for the shot.

* * *

They were still arguing about it when they got to the Jaeger pilots’ quarters. They paused before heading into their separate rooms to change out of their gym gear.

Chuck was protesting, “But I was ahead already! I still won!”

Herc grinned. “Then you should have made the shot.”

Chuck didn’t know whether to glare or to laugh, so he did both. “That makes no sense, and you know it!”

They both jumped when a loud bang came from within the nearby room, followed by a crash.

“That’s Sasha Kaidanovsky’s quarters,” said Herc. He listened as there was a series of thumps from inside. “Are they fighting?”

Chuck snickered. “Now who’s being naive?”

Realization dawned on Herc’s face. “But everyone can hear them!”

“I don’t think they mind.”

* * *

Sasha and Aleksis both felt that their best time was after their first Kaiju kill. They were both so full of adrenaline, feeling the rush of the neural link and the immense relief of having survived, that they threw off their gear, and then their clothes, right there in the Conn Pod.

It was only an hour later, when Jaeger Command was threatening to send out a rescue team, that the couple reported in and began their way back to the Vladivostok Shatterdome. Sasha and Aleksis were greeted with a standing ovation, which they pretended to believe was for killing their first Kaiju. In reality, they were well aware that their microphone had been on all along.

Ever since then, if Sasha was in the mood, all she had to do was whisper “Do you remember that time outside Frunzensky?” into Aleksis’ ear. She knew to only do so if she had plenty of time on her hands and there was solid furniture nearby.


End file.
